Jambs franklin moorman



(No Model.)

' J. P. MOORMAN.

` GAR GOUPLING. K No. 335,611. Patented Feb. 9, 1886.

miren rares armar @erica JAMES FRANKLIN MOORMAN, OF Ol'llO, IOW'A.

CAR-COUPLING.

l;5PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,611, dated February 9, 1&86.

Application filed November 1l, 1885. Serial No. 182,841. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. MooRMilN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohio, in the county of Madison and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in ear couplings; and the novelty consist-s of the peculiar construction andcombination ofparts, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth, and specifically' pointed out in the claim.

The object of my invention is to provide a ear-coupling which shall automatically couple when the draw-heads thereof abut together, and which shall be easy and thoroughly effective in operation; to provide means whereby the shock and jar occasioned by the cars coming together shall be in a great measure taken up by the draw-heads and prevented from being communicated to the carv body 5 to provide means whereby the draw-heads may be readily uneoupled and disconnected, and to combine simplicity with strength and durability of construction.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a car-coupling embodying my invention, showing the draw-heads thereof coupled together. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the draw-heads, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal section of one of the draw-heads on the line .r t of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, AB designate the draw-heads to be secured to the meeting ends of two railway-cars beneath and at the middle of the same and projecting beyond one end thereof. These draw-heads have the same essential features of construction, and I will describe the construction of only one of said draw-heads. Each drawhead is cut away at its front end so as to provide a socket, E, and two forwardlyprojecting arms, C D, which arms are arranged a distance apart at their rear ends equal to the width, or a little more so, of the extreme outer end of the arm C, and thus forms the socket E, and the arm C of one draw-head fits in the socket of the fellow draw-head. The arms C D of each draw-head are arranged at opposite sides thereof, and the armCis of a greaterlength than the arm D, for the purpose above described. The inner vertical face of the arm C has an inclined abutment, c, and the similar u face of the arm D is rounded or curved, as shown at d, the inclined and rounded faces of the arms serving to guide the arms I) ot' the adjacent or fellow drawhead into the socket E to connect said draw -heads together. The eouplingarms C of each draw-head are chambered out, as at c in Fig. 3, and the inner vertical faces of the arms are slotted, as at e', which opens into the chamber e.

F designates the couplinghooks, arranged in the chamber c and pivoted therein at its rear end, as at f, and having its hook-shaped endf normally pressed or forced outwardly through the slot c by means of a spring, F', also arranged in the chamber c, as shown in Fig. 3. The front vertical faces of the hook-shaped ends of the coupling-hooksf are rounded or beveled, and when the draw-heads come or abut together for coupling the beveled or rounded faces of the coupling-hooks thereof impinge against each other, to force said hooks rearwardly against the tension of the pressuresprings to effect the engagement of the coup ling-h ooks, and consequently coupling the cars together. The inclined and rounded faces of the arms of each draw-head serve as guides to the arm C in entering the socket E thereof', and the arms D prevent lateral play ofthe drawheads when the cars are in motion, so as to prevent them from becoming uncoupled. The cars are automatically coupled and the necessary play of the draw-heads permitted in rounding curves or other portions of thetrack which are out of a straight line.

Gdesignates levers for uncoupling the cars, the said levers being secured to a pin or bolt, g, which passes through the draw-head andis secured to the coupling-hook F. The front lvertical face of the arm C may be recessed, as at h, 'for the reception of a couplingdink when it is desired or becomes necessary to use a pinand-link coupling, said arm C being further .provided with vertical perforations or passages h for the reception of the coupling-pin to engage the link tted in the recess 7L. Ihe rear end of each draw-head is provided with a guide bar or rod, I, which is rigidly secured thereto and passes through an opening in a bracket or supportingcasting, J, which is se- IOO curely bolted or otherwise rigidly fastened to the car body or platform.

K designates' a sliding plate arranged to Vmove on the bar or rod I longitudinally thereof or washer, Z, and the sliding plate K is perforated at its side edges, and through these perforations headed guide pins or rods M pass, which guides are secured in the supporting casting or bracket J. It will be seen that when the draw -heads come together they will be forced rearwardly, and consequently carry with them the bars I and the springs L,Which movement serves to compress the springs and cause the plate K to move or slide upon the bar and the headed guide-pins. VThe force or shock occasioned by the draw-heads abutting together is thus taken up by the same and prevented from being com municated to the car body and platform in a great measure.

The operation of the invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings.

Any preferred means may be employed to secure the draw-heads to the cars, so that they can slide or move to break the force or concussion occasioned by the cars meeting, and the draw-heads can be arranged to couple at different elevatons and be operated from vthe tops of the cars.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to provide the draw-head of a car-coupling with aretaining and coupling arm and to arrange a spring-pressed coupling-hook in the couplingarm, and hence I disclaim this broad feature.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a car-coupling, the combination ofa drawhead having a socket, E, a curved retainingarm, D, at one side thereof,and a coupling-arm located on the opposite side of the draw-head and having a chamber, e, and a slot, e', an inclined abutment, c, formed on the inner face of the coupling-arm in rear of the slot e', a coupling hook located and pivoted in the chamber e, and having its hook projected through the said slot c, a spring for normally holding the hook extended through the slot, and a lever, G, connected with the couplinghook by a link, g, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES FRANKLIN MOORMAN. Witnesses:

ANNA L. Comas, MARY F. MooRMAN. 

